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The + indicates an offset, meaning you are on a repeater channel and is not related to the bandwidth.. Check again on page 17 of your manual.

How it started: If you bought the New GRMS UV-5R BAOFENG, please let us know how it works. How its going: Currently I have 10 of the 3170’s and 8 of the 3173’s, which is the same radio except it as trunking / What about the software for the nx-1330?

Its true, the groundplane is much not optimal in that location.. But "some people" really seem to confuse "will not work" with "may not work 100% perfectly as it possibly can"

Perfect is the enemy of good enough.

This is a very bad choice for many people because the programming software/CPS has a very steep learning curve, is often difficult if not impossible to find, often (depending on the radio/software) does not run well on newer computers, things like batteries, cables, etc, are also often difficult to find or expensive, and it will almost certainly cost a lot more. And most important: Those commercial radios are not Part 95 approved so it is illegal to use them and they will go to jail!!!!!1 I know this because I've seen this posted on this forum 100 times or more. Sometimes "cheap junk Chinese radios" are plenty good enough for normal people, despite the poor QC, but "some people" just cannot seem to grasp this simple fact and will live the rest of their lives proselytizing against inexpensive radios completely oblivious to other people's needs/desires.

I didn't get the radio by itself. It was out of stock. But they did have a kit that came with the radio an extra battery and a bunch of other accessories

1 - My earlier BFeng GMRS UV 5R "Pros and Cons" post was my objective assessment of the product after 1 month of use... I intended to assist future buyers and let them make a value judgment, not to start a war of words. 2 - Sorry, but I don't view a post suggesting viable alternatives (the K-Woodies) to the specific product being discussed (the BFengs) as "off topic" anymore than Road & Track reviewing a Ford F150 and comparing it to a Dodge Ram or Chevy Silverado

I see how if you want to split hairs here that it applies. What I am saying is that if I go down to the local TV station that has two UHF MSF5000's repeaters sitting on a deck at 750 feet. Yes, they are there I have worked on them. If I get permission from them to go up there and reprogram one for a GMRS frequency, lower the power to 50 watts (100 watt stations) then I am completely legal as far as the FCC is concerned. Now that's not going to happen since they use those repeaters. But, the FCC regulations regarding GMRS don't have any restriction on me doing it. That's the point I was trying to make.

If you only need a few radios buying used isn’t bad. Currently I have 10 of the 3170’s and 8 of the 3173’s, which is the same radio except it as trunking. The NX-1300’s are current production. I’m buying the 400-470 MHz band split since they will work for Ham and GMRS. As far as programming for GMRS they can meet the technical specifications except for the 0.5 watts on the FRS channels. On low power they output about 1 watt. The radios can be upgraded, or purchased, to do digital voice as well as analog FM. Since most of the Ham digital voice operation is on UHF this radio model is attractive so all I need is just one. Some of the limitations I’ve read people complaining about in various cheap GMRS radios doesn’t appear in the commercial radios. They have a lot of flexibility on their setup. NX-1200_1300 Num 2.pdf

Turns out it's called SC-ADD. Go to the channel you want to block change SC-ADD from ON to OFF and you're good to go.

I use an MXTA26 mounted on the rear tailgate of my Jeep, which gives me a very poor groundplane, and all the of the experts tell me it wont work.. I've hit over 30miles with it on simplex and can hit a repeater 92 miles away, so it works good enough for me.

Really helpful info. I don't need the radio to do my thinking for me, but I assume they can be programmed to fully comply with GMRS regulations? eBay has the 3170 at around $125 and a used 1300 at around $70. For perspective, 70 bucks is the total combined cost of my 5 Chinese HTs. My Bfengs all have warts, but they are perfectly functional (hell, I'm talking to 12 different repeaters, and distant contacts can't believe I'm using a 5 watt handheld). But, your suggested higher quality K-woodies would make nice additions to my collection. Thank you for your excellent info... much appreciated

I'm not an expert on anything TSA, but I would think the use of Li-Ion batteries would require them to be carry on. I use an e-cigarette, since I gave up the normal cigarettes, and they told me the 18650 batteries for it had to be in one of my pockets, and couldn't even be kept in my carry on bag.

There may be other ways to get the repeater information such as the local ham/GMRS group or by scanning the input frequency with a radio that can scan for the tone, then connecting to the repeater and calling out/asking for permission, or just using it until someone tells you to not use it.